Earlier this month, the Belize Coast Guard Special Operations Group deployed to Santiago, Chile to participate in the fifteenth Annual Fuerzas Commando Competition. The seven-man team is competing against nineteen other Special Operation Forces from across the Western Hemisphere in the most distinguished competition of its kind. Fuerzas Commando consists of a series of individual […]
The Belize Police Department has lifted a vendors’ curfew that was introduced a couple days ago. As we’ve reported since the start of this week, street vendors who operate from midnight into the early hours of the morning were being placed on a curfew to operate. The reason it was being implemented was to curb […]
The reinvigorated Citizens Organized for Liberty through Action, COLA, has jumped on the matter. The grassroots organization has been monitoring the situation and according to President Shawn Saldano, the only persons negatively affected by the department’s decision were the vendors. He says that the department’s choice to impose a curfew not only stifled the vendors […]
Belize is making progress in its fight against trafficking in persons and the U.S. Department of State has taken notice. In the 2019 U.S. Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons Report, Belize has been upgraded to tier two. According to the report, Belize has demonstrated notable improvements in victim services and strengthening the anti-trafficking police […]
On May thirtieth the forty-foot sailboat “Shambella” grounded on the Belize Barrier Reef. On board was US national James Garreth, along with a German National. News Five has confirmed that after an investigation, the matter proceeded to the courts and Garreth, who is said to be the captain, was ordered to pay more than thirty […]
Belize is preparing for the introduction of a new driver’s license system. With financial and technical assistance from the Taiwanese government, a new driver’s license will be created and it is the intention of the Ministry of Transport that the card will be recognized as an official Belizean document anywhere in the world. News Five’s […]
Today, Belize and Taiwan held a short ceremony to unveil three commemorative stamps and sign an M.O.U. to improve the postal services in Belize. The three stamps are designed to celebrate Belize and Taiwan’s thirty years of diplomatic ties. To build on that friendship, Taiwan signed an agreement with Belize to help modernize its postal […]
So, what does this M.O.U. mean for postal services in Belize and for the users of this service? Postmaster General James Gabriel says this boost comes at a critical juncture in the history of postal services in Belize. The M.O.U. provides for major upgrades in the delivery of posts which will be supported with the […]
June twenty-fifth is recognized annually across the world as the “Day of the Seafarer.” This year’s theme is “I am onboard with Gender Equality.” It is used to raise awareness on the importance of seafarers onboard ships. Today, a News Five crew joined members of the Belize Maritime Authorities onboard the Carnival Miracle where the […]
Today, thirty-one young men from across the country proudly marched up to receive their recognition and award for having successfully completed the 2019 Belize Youth Challenge. The initiative is modeled from a similarly successful Youth Challenge Programme run by the Louisiana National Guard in the United States and was established with their technical support. Over […]
This Sunday at ten-thirty a.m., yoga enthusiasts from across the country will synchronize their practice in honour of International Yoga Day. Healthy Living has all the details about this annual event. Marleni Cuellar, Reporting For the past five years on the longest day of the year or the summer solstice, groups gather across the globe […]
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Patrick Faber also made a comment on the increase in the Social Security contributions. It’s been seventeen years since an increase and there has been a delay in another since 2012 for various reasons, including political likeability. G.O.B. has now given the nod of approval to the Social […]
There seems to be more bad news on the horizon for public officers, teachers and police officers. The longstanding pension scheme for government employees is that G.O.B. pays one hundred percent and then on reaching retirement, a gratuity is paid and then pension kicks in until you die. That bill is a hefty one which […]
An increase in the social security pension scheme was rolled out in 2003, seventeen years ago. The fund is at the point where its total expenditure equals total revenue. During the two-year consultation, officials from the Social Security Board met with several entities and groups, including the Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The private […]
As Doctor Young said, the rate increase is a temporary solution. It is expected that another rate increase or adjustment would be necessary in 2025. In order to delay that increase, Doctor Young says that S.S.B.’s investment portfolio must increase. It is his hope that the Board would consider making international investments. Dr. Colin […]
Between 2017 and 2018, more than two thousand contributors joined the social security fund. Currently, the fund consists of about one hundred and eight thousand contributors. Every year, close to one thousand, three hundred persons retire and begin to collect their pension. In such cases where the employee dies before reaching retirement age, their pension […]
The Belize Police Department held its national Du Di Right Ting award ceremony today at Old Belize. Fifty-five students from around the country were recognized, with eight of them getting cash awards and the top two honored with scholarships and laptops. The department uses the ceremony to celebrate the students who have stayed the course […]
A Letter of Intent on a framework for tourism cooperation between Belize and the Republic of China (Taiwan) was signed this evening. The ceremony coincides with the visit of Doctor Chia-Lung Lin, Taiwan’s Minister of Transport and Communications. Speaking at the signing was Director of Tourism, Karen Bevans. Karen Bevans, Director of Tourism “We […]
A three-page memo explaining “How the U.D.P. can leverage S.S.B.’s sustainability to gain political advantage” does exist. The document, written by Chief Executive Officer, Doctor Colin Young, with the support of the Social Security Board, was brought to the public’s attention on Monday by the People’s United Party. In a release, the P.U.P. expressed its […]
The memo details five reasons why the United Democratic Party should implement the reform this year. The first reason listed is ‘leveraging political capital.’ The memorandum explains that it is understood that any increase in S.S.B. contributions will cause the U.D.P. administration to lose political capital. In fact, Doctor Young tells cabinet that further delays […]
According to the opposition party, the people’s money has been pumped into projects and investments which it claims are unjustifiable. The P.U.P. is charging the C.E.O. of politicization of the S.S.B. and claims that the S.S.B. has been infiltrated by the U.D.P. The release says that, “These are people who have made millions under the […]
And finally, the P.U.P. says that the S.S.B.’s directorate has failed miserably and must be held accountable. The party calls on the government to immediately desist from playing politics, but Singh reminded the P.U.P. of the 2003 protests that resulted in the increase of contributions. Douglas Singh, Chairman, Social Security Board “What the release did […]
In January of this year, Auditor General Dorothy Ann Bradley submitted to the Prime Minister’s office her financial reports on the accounts of Belize for the year 2014/2015. In the report, Bradley speaks of several glaring financial discrepancies believed to have been caused by the inadequate performance by finance officers, accounting clerks, and government departments […]
Over the course of the next six weeks, one hundred and ninety villages will elect new councils. Village council elections are scheduled to commence on Sunday, June twenty-third. More than one thousand, three hundred seats will be available across the country. During the last village council elections, the United Democratic Party captured sixty percent of […]
And so, while the tourism stakeholders have been getting some relief, there is still the issue of sargassum and how it must be managed. The task force with support from the Ministry of Tourism and other partners, including the National Meteorological Service, is developing a sargassum drift projection system with the hope that it can […]
